Good Morning WA2K.
I see that one of my favorite country blues singers was born on this date and was quite surprised that he had passed away in 2002. I have his complete CD collection and although Mickey's own recording of Frisco Mabel Joy and An American Trilogy made the charts, I had always wondered why his own recordings didn't make it and then I saw this today on the net by Joe Zeimer:
"A major reason that his name is not a household name is simply that his ten excellent albums, recorded from 1969-1981, were not available on CD until 1999. In other words, before 1999, the only place to locate these albums would have been in used record stores."
Wikipedia bio:
Mickey Newbury (May 19, 1940 - September 29, 2002) was an American singer and songwriter.
Born Milton Sim Newbury, Jr. in Houston, Texas, he sang with a vocal group in high school, and after his military service returned home where he began writing music and singing in local clubs. In 1964 Wesley Rose signed him to a songwriting contract with Acuff-Rose Music to work in Nashville, Tennessee. His compositions did well in many genres of music but he is most remembered for his creation of An American Trilogy, a medley that was recorded by many, including symphony orchestras, but most notably by Elvis Presley.
As a successful songwriter, he also had a long-lasting professional relationship with Kenny Rogers. Notable songs he wrote for him includesJust Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In) from 1968. Rogers also covered his 1969 tune "San Francisco Mabel Joy" in 1978 with a slightly different lyric.
Mickey Newbury was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1980.
A friend and admirer of the music of Townes van Zandt, Newbury recorded more than a dozen albums of his own that received critical acclaim but had only modest sales success.
In the 1980s, he moved to an old farmhouse in the Willamette Valley in Oregon with his wife and three of his children where he died in 2002.
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By Joe Ziemer, March 14, 2000
He is the only American singer or songwriter to have four number one hits on four different charts in the same year (or for that matter - EVER). That achievement is not only in a world class ..........Mickey Newbury's songs have been covered 241+ times, over 3 1/2 generations, from 1965 to 2000. That averages to more than one song covered every two months for 35 years. His songs have hit the number one position for Andy Williams, Eddy Arnold, Willie Nelson (Willie's first number one), Solomon Burke, Kenny Rogers... ( 62 songs covered by 169 different artists (statistics from "Celebrating 35 Years of Mickey Newbury's Music", by Joe Ziemer, Dec '99.)
Angeline
Yesterday´s newspapers forecasts no rain for today
Yesterday´s news was old news, the skies are all grey
Winter´s in labor and soon will give birth to the spring
And sprinkle the meadows with flowers for my Angeline.
Heartache and sorrow and sadness unendingly find
Wings on a mem´ry and with them she flies to my mind
She stretched her arms for a moment, then went back to sleep
While morning stood watching me ever so silently weep.
She opened her eyes, Lord, the minute my feet touched the floor
The cold hard-wood floor creaked with each step I made to the door
Then I turned to her gently and said, "Hon, just look, it is spring"
Knowing outside the window, the winter looked for Angeline.
But yesterday´s newspaper forecast no rain for today,
But yesterday´s news is old news the skies are all grey.
(I love his voice, and his accompanying rain sounds and train whistles.
)
